The majority of people in Taiwan hold a strong belief in Chinese culture and identity, which is an enduring virtue, said Ma Ying-jeou, former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party, during a commemorative ceremony on the Chinese mainland on Saturday.

On Saturday morning, the annual ceremony honoring Fu Xi, a mythical ancestor of Chinese civilization, took place at Fu Xi Temple in Tianshui, a city in Northwest China's Gansu province that is regarded as the birthplace of Fu Xi and the cradle of Fu Xi culture. Paying tribute to Fu Xi is a local tradition in Tianshui that dates back to ancient times.

Ma and a delegation of students from China's Taiwan island participated in the ceremony.

"This is not only a time-honored tradition of the Chinese nation to trace its roots and honor its ancestors, but also a valuable opportunity for young people to experience the profound influence of Chinese culture and civilization," Ma said after the ceremony.

The ceremony, which began at 9:50 am, was held simultaneously on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, with a parallel event held at Xianse Temple in New Taipei City in Taiwan. It marked the 12th consecutive cross-Strait joint commemoration of Fu Xi.

On Saturday, which marked the solar term Summer Solstice, the ceremony began with 34 drumbeats, symbolizing the descendants of Chinese civilization across the 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities on the mainland, as well as the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and Taiwan. A series of solemn rituals followed, including the reading of a eulogy, ceremonial bows and ritual music and dance performances.

Ma and Song Tao, head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, attended the ceremony together and paid their respects at the ancestral temple.

Ma said he brought the student delegation to take part in the ceremony to demonstrate the importance that people in Taiwan place on honoring their ancestors and respecting traditional Chinese culture, and to raise awareness about the need to preserve and pass on the nation's cultural heritage.

"I hope that through the solemn tribute to the cultural ancestor of Chinese civilization, young people across the Strait could join hands and work together to build a bright future for the Chinese nation," Ma said.

The ceremony in Tianshui drew around 750 participants from home and abroad, including more than 240 compatriots from Taiwan.

In New Taipei City, Wang Jinpyng, the officiant of the commemorative ceremony and a KMT politician, noted that Fu Xi represents the root of Chinese culture. He expressed the hope that Fu Xi culture could be further promoted on the island to strengthen cultural confidence and identity.

Lee Chien-lung, who is in charge of Xianse Temple, said that the ceremony served not only to honor the ancestor but also to educate and inspire the younger generation, according to a Xinhua News Agency report.

Contact the writers at lishangyi@chinadaily.com.cn